Donna Maria is an entrepreneur mentor, the founder and CEO of the Indie Business Network, and the host of the Indie Business Podcast and the Indie Business Retreat. She has been recognized as one of the most trusted voices for Makers and Creative Entrepreneurs. Her coaching and consulting enterprise trains thousands of new and evolving entrepreneurs every day.
Welcome to Episode 51 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this episode, I introduce you to Mike Neustrom of Prairie Lavender Farm in Bennington, Kansas, and of the United States Lavender Growers Association. Mike’s lavender business is an outgrowth of a promise to his wife to settle wherever she wanted, after he ended a distinguished…
Today was our first meeting and Mastermind day on #IndieCruise 2017 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Our theme for this year is Refresh | Refine | Results, and you can read more about it here. In case you missed them, here are recaps from Day 1 (cocktail party and refresh) and Day 2 (beach and…
If you missed my overview with pictures from our first day in Punta Cana, you can get it here. We just finished up Day 2, and it was amazing. As you may recall, our theme for this year is Refresh | Refine | Results, and you can read more about that here. While the original…
It’s Monday, and I am here at #IndieCruise 2017, in lovely Punta Cana, with 38 other entrepreneurs for my annual Mastermind retreat. Our theme for this year is Refresh | Refine | Results, and you can read more about it here. Today was our arrival day, so we had a lovely dinner where we re-connected…
I love telling you about the amazing things our members do, and how dedicated they are to serving their customers. Today, I want to introduce you quickly to Maggie Hanus of A Wild Soap Bar outside Austin, Texas, and Caitlin Abshier of Revive Bath + Body in Atlanta. Here they are today at Atlanta’s America’s…
If you have been in business for even a day, you know that your products are probably not the best ones on the market. You may also know that there are lots of people who are serving in the same niche as you, and maybe even doing a better job than you. You know all…
For the past several months, I have been devoting more of my time and energy to taking better care of myself physically. One of the people who is helping me do that is my friend, Anne-Marie Faiola who is a fitness and nutrition expert. Last year, I joined her Best Day Ever Challenge, which challenged…
I’m pleased to announce that Indie Business University (IBU) is officially open for enrollment for a limited time. My team and I have been working on it for months, and I am so excited to finally be able to share it with you. I won’t repeat everything you can read at the Indie Business University…
I am pleased to announce the January-February 2017 Indie Business Book Club pick: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey. Click here to join the club for free on Facebook. If you’re not familiar with Indie Business Book Club, click here to learn more about how…
Happy New Year everyone! As we glide into 2017, I am pausing to reflect on the magnificent blessing I have to serve thousands of Makers and Artisan Entrepreneurs all across the nation. It is such an honor to serve you. 2016 was a year of great intention for the Indie Business Network. We introduced a…
For the past few months, we’ve been reading Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy in the Indie Business Book Club. The subtitle of this book, A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, is really on point. This book really is a life plan template, and if you work…
The new 2017 Indie Business Network member badge is here! Indie Business Network members in good standing can log in and grab the code (without the watermark) for the badge for the current year. After you log in, choose the “Get your 2017 Member Badge” icon and follow the prompts to display your current membership…
Our member, Cynthia Johnston of Moonmaid Botanicals in Cosby, Tennessee, traveled hundreds of miles across the country to visit several of her wholesale stockists, and the results were fabulous. Read on to enjoy the story behind this epic trip, and get some tips to plan one of your own. As Cynthia neared her 20th year…
UPDATE: Here is updated information on the Artisan Made Show! Welcome to Episode 2 of the Artisan Made Show. (If you missed Episode 1, you can check it out here.) On today’s show, we are selling products made by our member, Stacia Guzzo at Handcrafted Honeybee in Tehachapi, California. Watch the episode below (and scroll…
I‘m coming to Arizona! I am excited to share that I’ll be speaking at the United States Lavender Conference in January. I recently read that there are more than 300 independently owned lavender farms in the United States today. How great that we no longer have to go to France to enjoy the many benefits…
A few days ago, I told you about the the Artisan Made Show, the world’s first live virtual home shopping show featuring local and artisan Indie brands on Facebook. Today, I hosted the first episode. You can watch it below. Here are our guests, in order of appearance, with time stamps. Sparklefly Candles: Anne Marie…
UPDATE: Here is updated information on the Artisan Made Show! On Monday morning, December 12, I will host the Artisan Made Show, the world’s first live virtual home shopping show featuring local and artisan Indie brands on Facebook. Grab a cup of coffee or tea after you start your day, and then shop from wherever…
I want to take a moment to make sure you know about a podcast appearance I made recently. Our Indie Business Network member and Head Coach, Christine Laureano, interviewed me on her Creative Entrepreneurs Online Podcast. She asked me to share from my experience about one of my favorite topics: the entrepreneurial mastermind. As you…
I am excited to announce the 2016 Artisan Entrepreneur of the Year Awards! The Artisan Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards allows artisans and their customers and clients to nominate and vote in six categories that uniquely reflect the creativity and innovative spirit of the artisan entrepreneur: • artisan product(s) • product photography • Instagram imagery…
Our member, Alana Rivera of Etta + Billie, was interviewed this past weekend by the host of KTVU in Oakland, California, about the San Francisco Etsy Team Indie Holiday Emporium which took place over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Watch the video below. As Alana shares in the interview, the event featured over 200 brands of…
To register or request Maker Mastermind Live in your city, click here. Masker Mastermind San Francisco was fantastic! Twenty engaged and determined creative entrepreneurs joined together for two days of Masterminding, goal setting and fun. After I delivered a presentation designed to help everyone plan their businesses for long term success, we piled…
